The Kashmir Files: A Hindi Film Based on the 1990s Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir

“The Kashmir Files” is an Indian Hindi-language drama film that aims to shed light on the little-known events surrounding the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir. Written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film presents a fictional storyline that depicts the events leading up to the exodus as a genocide, a notion that is widely considered inaccurate by scholars. Despite this, the film claims that the facts about the event were suppressed by a conspiracy of silence.

1. “The Kashmir Files” is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language drama film set to be released in 2022.
2. The film is written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and centers around a fictional storyline about the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir.
3. The film depicts the events leading up to the exodus as a genocide, a notion that is widely considered inaccurate by scholars.
4. The film claims that the facts about the event were suppressed by a conspiracy of silence.
5. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi.
6. The plot follows a Kashmiri Hindu college student, raised by his exiled grandfather and shielded from the knowledge of the circumstances of the death of his parents.
7. The film was released in theaters on March 11, 2022, and has been a commercial success.
8. The critical reception of the film has been mixed, with some praising the cinematography and acting, while others criticizing the film’s attempt to recast established history and propagate Islamophobia.
9. The film has received praise from India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
10. Theatres across India have witnessed hate speech against Muslims, including incitement to violence, as a result of the film’s release.
11. As of April 28, 2022, the film has grossed over $43 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022.
12. The director, Vivek Agnihotri, announced the film in 2019 with a planned release date on August 15, 2020, to coincide with India’s Independence Day.
13. The film is the second installment of his trilogy of “untold stories of independent India”, which includes The Tashkent Files (2019) and an upcoming The Delhi Files.
14. Agnihotri claims to have interviewed more than 700 emigrants from the exodus and recorded their stories over a period of two years in order to make this film.
15. Actor Anupam Kher joined the cast of the film in December 2019.
16. The first schedule of the film, supposed to take place in March 2020, was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India and was later started in December 2020 in Mussoorie.
17. The entire film was shot in 30 days, largely in Mussoorie and Dehradun, along with a week-long shooting schedule in Kashmir, including at Dal Lake.
18. Yograj Singh was removed from the film before the production started in December 2020 due to his speeches at the 2020-2021 Indian farmers’ protest, and Puneet Issar was brought in as the replacement.
19. A line producer, Sarahna, died during the production by suicide.
20. The production was wrapped up by January 16, 2021.
21. The film is produced by Tej Narayan Agarwal, Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi, and Vivek Agnihotri under the banners of Zee Studios, IAmBuddha, and Abhishek Agarwal Arts.
22. The film was made on a budget of approximately $1.9 million to $3.1 million
23. The Indian Censor Board gave The Kashmir Files an A certificate, which is restricted to adults (aged 18 and above)

The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi and follows a Kashmiri Hindu college student, raised by his exiled grandfather and shielded from the knowledge of the circumstances of the death of his parents.

With a release date of March 11, 2022, “The Kashmir Files” is poised to be a commercial success and its release is expected to cause a stir among audiences, both in support and against it, as the topic of the film is heavily debated and polarized.

The film’s reception and impact will likely be revealed after its release, and it will be interesting to see how the director’s vision, based on his two years of research and interviews, is perceived by audiences, critics, and experts.